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He added: “This matter relates to the historical situation in our warehouse that was widely publicised in 2016, for which we apologised at the time.

“We cooperated fully with HMRC to make back payments to Sports Direct staff who were affected.

“We are committed to treating all our people with dignity and respect, and we pay above the National Minimum Wage.”

In Sandwell,Mrs Hardeep Sodhi and Mrs Salma Choudhary, trading as Cape Hill Solicitors, failed to pay £7,917.22 to one worker, the BEIS said.

Nelson Recruitment Services Ltd, which has an office in Kingstanding, owed 601.77 to 64 workers, according to the department.

Mr Bharat Savjani and Mr Vikesh Savjani, formerly trading as Sussex Service Station in Balsall Heath, were named for failing to pay £1,430.66 to 11 workers. A manager at the station said the Savjanis had sold the business four months ago and it is under new ownership.

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Nationally, some of the UK’s lowest paid workers are owed £1.7 million in back pay.

Retail, hairdressing and hospitality businesses were among the most prolific offenders in the latest round. Common errors included failing to pay workers travelling between jobs, deducting money from pay for uniforms and not paying overtime.

Business Minister Margot James said: “There is no excuse for not paying staff the wages they’re entitled to and the government will come down hard on businesses that break the rules. That’s why today we are naming hundreds of employers who have been short changing their workers; and to ensure there are consequences for their wallets as well as their reputation, we’ve levied millions in back pay and fines.”

Bryan Sanderson, Chairman of the Low Pay Commission, backed the decision to name national brands and small businesses alike.

Mr Sanderson said: “The Low Pay Commission’s conversations with employers suggest that the risk of being named is encouraging businesses to focus on compliance.

“Further, it is good to see that HMRC continues to target large employers who have underpaid a large number of workers, as well as cases involving only a few workers, where workers are at risk of the most serious exploitation.

“It is imperative that the government keeps up the pressure on all employers who commit breaches of minimum wage law.”

The scheme has identified £8 million in back pay for 58,000 workers over the past four years. The government has fined 1,500 employers a total £5million over the period.

(Image: PA)

A record £25.3 million will be spent on minimum wage enforcement this year, the BEIS said, with rates rising again in April 2018.

The increase was billed as the biggest pay boost for young workers in a decade by the department as it announced the latest fines today (FRIDAY).

Nelson Recruitment Services said: “Nelson Recruitment Services believes in acting at all times with integrity and in accordance with our legal obligations. We regularly carry out internal audits to ensure any errors or oversights are corrected. We work closely with our advisors and always seek to work with transparency. If any member of our workforce feels at any point that there is an issue, they are actively encouraged to speak to us so that we can properly investigate their concerns.”

A Primark spokesperson said: “Following a routine audit by HMRC, Primark confirms it has paid a number of its employees in instances where HMRC deemed these employees to have received less than the National Minimum Wage. The average amount paid per employee was £23.75 and relates to a workwear policy that was changed in 2016 and also to administration costs for court orders involving a small number of staff.

“The company is committed to the National Minimum Wage and has apologised to the employees concerned. It has also reviewed its procedures in order to avoid this situation re-occurring.”

Workers concerned they are not being paid the correct rates can seek advice from workplace experts ACAS.